澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2013-03-19

A key independent has told labor¹ it is time to end the leadership speculation², once and for all. Tony Windsor says labor risks losing his support if it doesn't settle the issue. Meanwhile the foreign minister Bob Carl has strongly dismissed reports that he had lost confidence in the prime minister. And another independent says the government should now scrap³ its media reform and start all over again. Rob Oakeshott says he won't vote any of the six bills. The communication's minister Stephen Conroy isn't giving up though. He says he'll keep trying to convince crossbencher MPs to back his contentious⁴ changes.

 

And after much wrangling⁵, Britain's politicians have agreed to their own media reforms. The country's three major parties have reached a deal to set up a new regulatory system. Under the pen, a new watchdog will be able to oppose heavy fines on newspapers and force them to publish prominent apologies.

 

A man faces court in Melbourne this morning charged with murdering his father and uncle at a remote farm in central Victoria. The body of Douglas and John Streeter were discovered on Thursday. Police arrested Ross Street on Saturday. He was charged in an out of court hearing last night.

 

And a controversial bank bail⁶ out in Cyprus has sparked angry protests outside that country's parliament. Politicians have again postponed⁷ a vote on the deal to slug bank accounts on the 10% levy⁸. The crisis has unsettled world markets and closed that country's banks. 

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

3 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

4 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

5 wrangling   

v.争吵，争论，口角( wrangle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The two sides have spent most of their time wrangling over procedural problems. 双方大部分时间都在围绕程序问题争论不休。 来自辞典例句
• The children were wrangling (with each other) over the new toy. 孩子为新玩具（互相）争吵。 来自辞典例句

6 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

7 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

8 levy   

n.征收税或其他款项，征收额

参考例句：

• They levy a tax on him.他们向他征税。
• A direct food levy was imposed by the local government.地方政府征收了食品税。